as in unsuccessful
producing no results
an abortive attempt to recover the sunken pirate ship
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Recent Examples of abortive
The people with transient and abortive responses developed a quick immune response—built up within about one day—inside their noses.
—
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
The Failure of Union: Central America, 1824-1960 A study of the abortive efforts by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to form some type of larger federal union.
—Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
As China has repeatedly made clear as far back as former President Donald Trump’s abortive attempt to force a TikTok sale, that divestiture isn’t going to happen—Beijing would block any sale.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
His stoking of culture wars pleased the GOP base but sometimes fizzled as policy, such as abortive efforts to create a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and principals and a rewrite of state history standards that was widely criticized as racially insensitive and inaccurate.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abortive 
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
The Failure of Union: Central America, 1824-1960 A study of the abortive efforts by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to form some type of larger federal union.
—Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
As China has repeatedly made clear as far back as former President Donald Trump’s abortive attempt to force a TikTok sale, that divestiture isn’t going to happen—Beijing would block any sale.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
His stoking of culture wars pleased the GOP base but sometimes fizzled as policy, such as abortive efforts to create a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and principals and a rewrite of state history standards that was widely criticized as racially insensitive and inaccurate.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abortive
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Cite this Entry
“Abortive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abortive. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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